Blue Shamrock Golf Club to celebrate centennial anniversary

Blue Shamrock, the public golf course near Palmerton that recently had its first anniversary, also will be celebrating its centennial over July 4th weekend.

The course plans three days of activities to mark the 100th anniversary of the former Blue Ridge Country Club, which opened in 1915. Blue Ridge, which closed in 2013, reopened last year under new ownership as a public course. Head pro Ray Silnik said Blue Shamrock tied the centennial celebration with the holiday weekend.

"We think it's going to be a lot of fun," he said.

Blue Ridge Country Club's history dates to April 1915, when the club's nine-hole golf course opened. Since 1989 it added nine holes and a 17,000-square-foot clubhouse. Membership ultimately fell below 200, however, and the club closed in November 2013.

When the course reopened to the public last year, Tim Nagle, who heads the ownership group, said that Blue Shamrock would respect the club's long history but also needed a fresh start. As a result, the new owners sought to retain the course's character while making some changes inside and out to go public.

They added a restaurant, pub and outdoor deck for outings and events. Silnik said that former Blue Ridge members have been drawn back to the public course.

"People are really happy with the course," said Silnik, who formerly worked at Silver Creek. "We've doubled our number of yearly members, and a lot of [the former Blue Ridge] members are coming back to on a daily-fee basis."

The centennial celebration calendar includes a three-person scramble tournament Saturday, live music, prizes and fireworks on July 5. For information, visit Blue Shamrock's website http://www.golfblueshamrock.com.